Pig hearts may be adapted for human use within three years in a breakthrough move that could clear the UK donor list, a leading surgeon has said.
Sir Terence English, who performed Britain’s first ever successful heart transplant, said his mentee from the 1979 operation will try to replace a human kidney with a pigs before the end of the year.
He believes this could pave the way for more complicated organ transplants in the process called ‘xenotransplantation’.
Sir Terence English, who performed Britain’s first ever successful heart transplant, said his mentee from the 1979 operation will try to replace a human kidney with a pigs before the end of the year (file picture)
Sir Terence (pictured) believes this could pave the way for more complicated organ transplants in the process called ‘xenotransplantation’
Professor Christoper McGregor (pictured) has made two ‘knock-out’ genes that may allow pigs organs to be used in humans
Sir Terence told the Sunday Telegraph: ‘If the result of xenotransplantation is satisfactory with porcine kidneys to humans then it is likely that hearts would be used with good effects in humans within a few years.
